Radon in Castlegar 29.3% in Kootenay-Boundary, and a later survey over half
Kootenay-Boundary, the health area that includes Castlegar and Trail, was 29.3% of 109 homes above 200 Bq/m³ in the 2009–2011 survey, and 7.3% were above 600. East Kootenay was 19.0%. Vancouver was 1.2%.
Health Canada’s current action guide says surveys in Castlegar have found more than half of homes above the guideline. Keep that sentence separate from the 29.3%. Two studies, two numbers, one house to test.
What the percentage does not measure
The survey describes homes recruited in a health region, not your house. The slab, the footing drain, the cracks and how many hours the windows stay shut change the number from one address to the next. The reading that matters is the lowest lived-in room, during the heating season.
If the report is over 200
In that survey, Health Canada asked participants to act within two years between 200 and 600 Bq/m³, and within one year above 600. Next steps: radon above 200. British Columbia Kelowna
The 4-day test is a first reading. The 91-day test is the length Health Canada uses to judge a heating season. Both are $59 before tax. Shipping, the prepaid return and the lab are included. Tax is extra. The PDF report is emailed within 2 business days after the lab receives the detector.
Above 200 Bq/m³, the fix is a fan that pulls soil gas from under the slab and exhausts it above the roof. Gaz Radon is C-NRPP certified for testing and for mitigation, and ships kits across Canada. Start from the Canada test page.
Source: Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes, long-term tests in the 2009–2011 heating seasons, report published in 2012. A health-region percentage is not a reading for one address.
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